Food
25 Gift Ideas For New Bakers That Are Ridiculously Useful
From kitchen essentials to fun baking tools.
Unless everyone you know somehow made it to December without stress-baking their way through the year, you've probably got a few beginner bakers to shop for this holiday season. If it's gift ideas for new bakers you seek, welcome. Prepare to be bombarded with baking tools and kitchen doo-dads you never knew you needed.
Back in March — which is what, like, 17 months ago? — you couldn't scroll through Instagram without seeing freshly baked banana bread, the progress on a sourdough starter, or a failed cake experiment. Per Better Homes & Gardens, we were all googling baking recipes at the beginning of the pandemic. We made cakes from scratch! We made cakes in mugs! We quite literally made everything cake to cope with our days spent safely indoors. We've all had to adjust to an ever-shifting new normal and there is no better way to do that than with some baked goods.
If you want to encourage friends and family who've discovered a new love for baking, get them a gift that'll keep that love going. Help them stock their kitchen. Upgrade those baking pans they've been using since college. Get them that silly but surprisingly useful baking gadget they want but would never get for themselves. Here are 25 of the best gifts to get for new bakers this year.
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1Nice Utensil Holder
Help them keep their kitchen organized with a utensil holder like this gorgeous woven one from Jungalow.
2Serving Bowls
Presentation is perhaps the most fun part of baking — second only to eating the baked goods. Get a new baker some cute small serving bowls to show off their latest culinary creation.
3Dish Towels
If you know a new baker who likes to clean as they go, a fun dish towel is the perfect accessory to their kitchen.
4Charcuterie Board
We all know someone who has gotten extremely into cheeseboards these last few months. (Or we are that someone.) A nice charcuterie board and cheese knife like this set from Laura Hodges Studio is the perfect gift to encourage that dairy habit.
5Cast Iron Skillet
Three words: Nutella skillet cookie. Also, a cast iron skillet is a must-have for anyone starting out in the kitchen.
6Small Snack Bowls
These tiny bowls from Reflektion Design are great for snacking, prepped ingredients, holding fancy salt. Really the possibilities are endless.
7Nice Flatware Set
Everything tastes better with a fancy fork. Gift someone a set of fancy flatware like this set from The Black Home and let them dine in luxury.
8Apron
You can never go wrong with an apron, and this Dashiki apron from Lakay Designs is equal parts pretty and practical.
9Electric Kettle
Help keep their stovetop open for baking purposes with this electric tea kettle that can boil two liters of water in just a couple minutes.
10Personalized Pie Pan
If you know someone who is on a long journey to create the perfect pie crust, a personalized pie pan is a great way to say "save a slice for me."
11Tasting Spoons
Give someone the gift of feeling like they're on their own cooking show with some tiny tasting spoons. They're cute! They're useful! They're an excuse to dip into the cookie dough.
12Mortar and Pestle
Perfect for handmade spice mixes and feeling like an alchemist, a mortar and pestle set is one of those gifts that they didn't know they needed.
13Nice Measuring Spoons
This set of measuring spoons is just one of the many baking essentials sold by Sweet Smackin Shop on Etsy.
14Set Of Baking Tools
Make sure their kitchen is stocked with a set of baking tools. Who among us hasn't longed to own one of those little brush thingies?!
15Pastry Blender
Make their life easier with a pastry blender that will help them create the perfect flaky pastry.
16Small Le Creuset
Perfect for tiny cake, ice cream sundaes, or a chocolate fondue, this petite cocotte from Le Creuset will make them feel like the chef-iest chef.
17A High-quality Knife
Nothing like a dull knife to ruin your cooking experience. Get someone the gift of using a nice knife that doesn't require hacking or using your entire body weight to cut through a stick of butter.
18Reusable Baking Cup Liners
Help the new baker in your life keep waste to a minimum with some cute, colorful, and eco-friendly reusable baking liners.
19Marble Pastry Board
Marble pastry boards are meant to help maintain a cool working surface for pastry. Also, it keeps your counters a little cleaner.
20Nice Rolling Pins
Let a beginner baker live out their Great British Bake-off dreams with one of these fancy French rolling pins.
21Silpat Cake Liner
Help any new baker avoid future cake-sticking-to-pan disasters with a Silpat specifically for cake tins.
22Cake Decorating Set
For the cake boss-in-training, get them a cake decorating set with a range of different decorating tips and piping bags like this one from Wilton.
23Homemade Sourdough Bread Kit
Do you know someone who somehow missed out on the Great Sourdough Baking of 2020? This kit is perfect for beginners and has everything you need to make your own homemade bread.
24Fancy Sprinkles
If you know someone who Instagrams everything they make, they need to have a set of Fancy Sprinkles to adorn their next Insta-worthy creation.
25Even Better Brownies by Mike Johnson
You can't go wrong with a cookbook and this one from baker Mike Johnson is a must-have for anyone whose love language is brownies.
If all else fails, a nice bottle of wine is every baker's favorite sous-chef.
